Orange Chocolate Scones with Orange Glaze

A friend of mine is visiting the area for a couple weeks, so yesterday we thought it would be fun to get out of Boston for a bit and head down to Providence. We ended up going to The Duck and Bunny, which is the worlds most adorable cafe. They call themselves “A snuggery” because it’s such a cozy place. We had fancy snacks like bacon wrapped dates, a ricotta spread, and Afternoon Tea. Afternoon Tea consisted of a sampling of finger sandwiches, scones, cupcakes, and of course tea. It was delightful. You should all go to this place.

I have since been craving nothing but scones, and decided to revisit my favorite scone recipe from Joy of Baking and play around with it a bit. I had all those leftover mini-chocolate chips, so of course I used them. And I wanted to make one of my favorite flavor combos: orange and chocolate. And I wanted to put an orange glaze on them because being a baker at Panera ruined me forever and I now feel like scones must always have a glaze.

Chocolate and orange are combined in this light, fluffy, delicate scone.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter, cold and cut into little pieces

¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

⅔ cup milk (more if necessary)

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar

½ tsp orange zest

2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend small pieces of butter into the mixture (with a pastry blender, two knives, or crumbling in your hands) until it resembles crumbs.

Stir in chocolate chips and orange zest. Add vanilla and milk, and stir until dough comes together. You may need to add more milk or flour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead a few times, then shape dough into a circle about 1½" thick. Divide into 8 triangles, and arrange them on the baking sheet. Lightly brush with milk.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool slightly, and while still warm spread glaze over the top so it can melt into the scones. Let cool until glaze hardens.

To make the glaze:

Whisk together confectioners sugar, zest, and orange juice (adding more if necessary) until it's pourable but not overly runny.